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Africa Kit Appeal – tmgpro steps in to help

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we hate waste

How did we start with the Africa Kit Appeal? Well, the world of custom cycling kit moves fast which means that samples quickly become redundant.

A couple of years ago, we found ourselves in something of a bind. We had a suitcase full of samples featuring outdated product codes with nowhere to put them.

Clothing Bank? What are the chances of them ending up in the hands of a cyclist who could use them?

Recycling? A waste of top notch kit.

Waste Bin? Don’t even go there!

We searched the web for a while. We discovered that Matt Brammeier, then of Team Dimension Data, had a similar problem on a larger scale. Every year, pro riders get fresh kit with new sponsors and new graphics which means that all the gear from their previous season becames pretty much useless. Overnight.

Africa Kit Appeal art by Tim Marrs

artwork by Tim Marrs for the Africa Kit Appeal

positive solution – the Africa kit Appeal

Matt’s former team mate Adrien Niyonshuti from Rwanda runs a cycling academy back home. When Matt saw Adrien’s academy pictures, he realised that the riders barely had any cycling kit.

Idea!

Matt started collecting kit from his mates and sending it back to Rwanda with Adrian. little did he realise how his idea was going to take off. The Africa kit Appeal was born. Pretty quickly, he was overwhelmed with kit and ran out of space at friends’ houses!

We got in touch and quickly realised we could help with some of our warehouse space in St Albans. We now check in donations from all over the world and pack into export boxes ready to go. From us, it’s a short hop to Air Business, the distrbution sponsor for Africa Kit Appeal, who make sure the donations reach the right people.

As 2017 arrives, things have moved on. Multiple Irish Road Champ Matt is now with Aqua Blue Sport and the Africa kit appeal is now supported by Zwift, the giants of virtual racing.

We’re grateful to Matt and his friends who’ve solved that dilemma of what to do with our old kit and we’re delighted to be able to help with something so positive and useful.

The Africa Kit Appeal Mission Statement

“Our mission is to provide the kids of our supported African countries with the cycling apparel they need, not only will this enable the current cyclists to fulfil their full potential, dreams & ambitions but we hope we can also introduce some new faces into the world of cycling, a world that we love.” 

If you have any summer kit size M or below in good washed condition, send it in and we’ll make sure it ends up with the right people!

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when  it comes to racing wear, fit reigns supreme – so here’s our sizing chart

if you have any questions, just contact us

Man
Size XXS XS S M L XL XXL 3XL 4XL 5XL
Euro 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60
Chest T cm 84 88 92 96 100 104 108 112 116 120
in 33.1 34.6 36.2 37.8 39.4 40.9 42.5 44.1 45.7 47.2
Waist V cm 70 74 78 82 86 90 94 98 102 106
in 27.6 29.1 30.7 32.3 33.9 35.4 37 38.6 40.2 41.7
Hips F cm 92 96 100 104 108 112 116 120 124 128
in 36.2 37.8 39.4 40.9 42.5 44.1 45.7 47.2 48.8 50.4
Inside Leg C cm 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
in 30.3 30.7 31.1 31.5 31.9 32.3 32.7 33.1 33.5 33.9

Woman
Size XXS XS S M L XL XXL 3XL 4XL 5XL
Euro 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56
Chest T cm 76 80 84 88 92 96 100 104 108 112
in 29.9 31.5 33.1 34.6 36.2 37.8 39.4 40.9 42.5 44.1
Waist V cm 58 66 68 70 74 78 82 86 90 94
in 22.8 26 26.8 27.6 29.1 30.7 32.3 33.9 35.4 37
Hips F cm 86 90 94 98 102 106 110 114 118 122
in 33.9 35.4 37 38.6 40.2 41.7 43.3 44.9 46.5 48
Inside Leg C cm 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81
in 28.3 28.7 29.1 29.5 29.9 30.3 30.7 31.1 31.5 31.9

 

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We all know the clichés of the Italian bella figura and their obsession with style – but this is not just as a result of their preoccupation with appearances. Underneath the elegant exterior lies a rich and diverse history, linking craftsmanship of the highest quality to that more aesthetic side of the clothing industry.

Working with complex stitching on highly technical fabrics is a demanding task, and it’s here where these traditional skills are put to great use. Although the costs may be marginally lower to produce in the Far East, the gap is narrowing as the emerging economies develop. So not only do we enjoy the advantage of a deep rooted pride and tradition, we pay a relatively minor premium for it.

The fashion house of Prada in Milan, for example, only became seriously interested in design in the 1970s. From the beginning, it was established as a leathergoods store of high repute on account of the quality and longevity of its products; the same could be said of Gucci from Florence. and many other ‘designer’ labels.

The indigenous skills which became the bedrock of the Italian fashion industry are widely available in Northern Italy, even more so now that mass-market fashion chains such as Benetton have moved much of their production to Eastern Europe and even the Far East.

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Since 2011, when ISD-Neri-Giambenini burst onto the Italian scene with their Fluorescent Yellow strip, the rest of the world has been wondering when to make their move back into that sphere of solar glare.

Italians are not the shyest of beings, and while we were hesitating and debating, they were busy making. The upshot of this being that large volumes of highly visible fluoro yellow ink are already in use at our factory.

If you’re contemplating some fluoro on your strip, contact us to discover how we can incorporate this special colour into your design with the minimum of fuss and cost.

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When you start a race, where do you put your car key?

Under the wheelarch?

Round your neck?

Leave it with the service car?

Having once lost a car key during a race, we can bear witness to the risky nature of slinging it in your rear pocket, but now we can offer the option of a waterproof zipped pocket on all our jerseys. Contact us for more details.